RONCHI VICTIMISES NAZMUL

Chittagong Vikings' Kiwi opener Luke Ronchi continued his terrific hitting from their first game. It was Rangpur Riders left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam who was at the receiving. After defending the second ball of the third over, he smacked a length delivery over long on for six. He then clocked another one off the next ball, this time making some room and launching a lofted cover drive for a magnificent six. Nazmul changed his length and added more pace to the next ball outside off stump but Ronchi sliced that through point for four. Clueless about where to bowl the last delivery, Nazmul bowled a length ball and Ronchi was only too happy to charge down the track to lift it over long off for the third six of the over, which produced 23.

BOPARA SLOWS IT DOWN

Chittagong were cruising on 93 for one in 8 overs when English all-rounder Ravi Bopara was introduced into the attack. The cunning medium pacer immediately realised the nature of the pitch and that Luke Ronchi wanted pace behind the ball. The last ball of the over was a slower ball and Ronchi, on 78 off 34, was totally deceived as he went through his lofted drive too early and fell to an easy catch at long on. Bopara was successful again in the 11th over, this time fooling Dilshan Munaweera with a back-of-hand slower which the left-hander went to cut but left a huge gap between bat and pad for the ball to hit timber.

MARRIED AND LOVING IT

Newlywed fast bowler Taskin Ahmed was on fire for Chittagong Vikings. Starting his second spell in the 13th over during Rangpur's chase, he bowled a fast and well-directed yorker to a set Shahriar Nafees, who was not prepared for the gem and was late to swing across as the ball crashed into middle stump. The speedster picked up another wicket in the very next ball when Samiullah Shenwari flicked a length delivery straight down the throat of Misbahul Haq at midwicket. Taskin was on a hattrick, and although he did not take the wicket it was all him as he ran out Bopara with some deft footwork off the very next delivery , deflecting Thisara Perera's straight drive with his right foot onto the non-striker's stumps, with Bopara out of his ground. It seems that marriage has given him a new outlook after a torrid tour of South Africa.